Tenter clip



TENTER CLIP Filed Jan. l1, 1953 a? ai ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 18, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT DFFICE Application January11,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in tenter machines and isdirected more particularly to clips for the chains of tenteringmachines.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision ina tenter machine of a clip having a novel safety lock as one feature forreleasably locking the swinging jaw or gate in an open non-clampingposition and means as another feature for releasing the jaw and checkingthe swinging movement of the jaw towards its operable position whenreleased.

The endless chains of tenter machines are formed from pivoted-togetherdevices called clips, each of which includes a swinging jaw or gatemember. The lower sides of the jaw members bear on a web of materialsuch as a fabric to clamp the edge to plates or the like. The clipswhich are hinged or linked together to form the endless chains arearranged so the adjacent inner runs of the chains carry a web ofmaterial forwardly through the machine from one end to the other. As theclips round the sprockets at the entrance end of the machine, the jawsswing into web engaging relation and when the clips reach the dischargeend of the machine the clips are opened to release the web.

According to this invention means is provided to releasably hold thejaws of the clips in open position from the discharge end of the machinearound to the entrance end, and other means are provided to release thejaws so that they may` operate with a clamping action. By holding thejaws out of operative engagement with the cooperating clamping parts ofthe clips excessive wear of the parts is eliminated. To insure the mosteiiicient operation, according to the invention, when the clips arereleased for the web engaging action, means is provided to check theswinging movements of the jaw so that its web engaging parts will notmeet up with co-operating web engaging parts, thereby obviating injuryto these parts. Y

According to a special feature of the invention, the means forreleasably locking the jaw in its open position is concealed or enclosedby the tenter clip proper so that there are no projecting parts whichmay become caught and, thereby, broken or bent which would interferewith the proper functioning of the clips.

Various other novel features and advantages of the invention will'bemore fully hereinafter referred to in connection with the accompanyingdescriptionof the vpreferred form thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

1933, serial No. 651,190 (o1. :a6- 92) Fig. 1 is a side elevational Viewof a tenter clip embodying the novel features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan View on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevational sectional view on the line .3f-3 of Figure 1.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional View of the upper part of the clipshown in Fig. 1 to explain certain features of the invention, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic plan view at small scale to explain theoperation of certain features of the invention.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail the invention will be fullydescribed.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a tenter clip C Which-has a plate 2 forunderlying the marginal edge of a web, and a gate or jaw 4. The gate ispivoted at Ao to ,upwardly and forwardly extending arms 8 which arearranged in a spaced relation with reference to the main body of theclip as shown.

Lugs such as 10 on either side of the clip are arranged to be connectedto lugsvof adjacent clips by suitable pins so that a plurality of theclips may be joined together to form an endless chain such as has beenreferred to. In ordinary tenter machine construction the endless chainsformed by the clips are driven by sprockets located in either end of themachine so that the inner runs of the chains travel forwardly to move aweb of material such as cloth or the like from the entrance to thedischarge end of the machine.

In the form of the invention shown, a blade 5 is provided in the gate 4and is arranged so that its lower end will bear on a web of materialabo-ve the plate 2 and in this `way the web is clamped to the plate. Alever '7 extends upwardly from the gate 4 and it will be readilyapparent that, by swinging this lever from the position shown in Fig. lto the right, the gate will be swung away from the plate to release aweb between the lower end of the gate 4 and plate 2. A control member 12is pivoted at 14 to ears 16 of the clip C and a fork member 18 extendsrearwardly at the lower end of the gate. This may be of usualconstruction and need not be described herein more in detail.

At the discharge end of the tenter machine there are various meansprovided for swinging the lever '7 to the right to open the gate and Irelease the web. It isto releasably lock the gate .in this openposition, while the clip is returning Von the outer run back to theentrance end of the machine, that one feature of the invention isdirected.

In the form of the invention shown, a cross bar 20 extends between thearms 8 and a lock member 19 has its upper end secured thereto as by somesuitable means such as screws 22. A free end 23 of the lock member 19extends in a more or less curved relation downwardly between the armsand from its attachment to the cross bar 20. The lower extremity of themember 19 is curved as shown in Fig. 1 and a slot 24 as shown in Figs. 2and 3 is provided to permit the necessary movementsof the control member12. It will be noted that the member 19 is located between the arms soas to be more or less protected' and so that it will not become caughtor contacted with other parts of the tenter machine.

The lower end of the member 19 is arranged so that, as the lever 7 ofthe gate 4 is swung to the right, the fork 18 of the gate will passupwardly beyond and rest on the lower end of the member 19 as shown inFig. 4. Thus the gate is releasablylocked in open position, so that itslower end is held out of contact with the plate 2 during the travel 'ofthe clip from the discharge end to the entrance end of the tentermachine. In this way, since the parts are held out of Contact, the usualwear between the jaw and plate therebelow is obviated.

As another feature of the invention it is desired to release the gatefrom the locking means as the clips approach the web engaging positionand to check the action of the gate. The releasing is accomplished bythe provision of a shoe 30, such as shown in Fig. 5, which may have acam surface 32. As a clip travels forwardly in the direction of thearrow, as shown, the lever 7 thereof engages with the shoe 3() whichacts to swing the lever sufliciently to release the fork 18 from thelock 19. In this way the gate or jaw is free for the web engagingfunction.

In order howeverto insure that the web engaging parts of the gate willnot strike upon the plate or a web thereon with too much force whenreleased the means referred to is provided to check the movements of thelever '7. This is` accomplished by a stop shoe 34, against which thelever 7 strikes when ,released by the spring member 19. In this way asthe gate is released, Vits lower end is held out of contact with the'plate or web thereon. As `the clips pass by the plate-34 the marginaledge portion of the web will be between the plate and lower end of thegate and therefore when the lever is released by the .member 34 the gateis free to bear 'on the web for the clamping operation.

It will be vreadily apparent that the releasable lock is adapted toadequately holdthe gate in an open position and that lock is so locatedas to be enclosedor protected by the arms of the clip. This is so thereleasable lock Ywill not be- `come caught on objects past which ittravels and thereby it is protected against'injury.

It will also be observed that the means for releasing the gate isassociated with means yto limit or check the swinging movements of thegate after it has been released. Inthis way, the gate after it isreleased will not swing so that its lower end `strikes the plate or webthereon but is limited in its movement vvso that, when released by thestop shoe, its 4lower en d will bring up against the web for Vtheclampingaction withoutl injury to the parts'or web.

Various changes and `modif1cations may be made in the form` of theinvention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof andtherefore what it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

l. A tenter machine comprising in combination, a plurality of tenterclips hinged together forming an endless chain, sprockets therefor, eachclip including a body and a substantially horizontally disposedweb-engaging plate portion and spaced arms integral with the body so asto be held against movement relative to said plate portion and extendingupwardly and forwardly from the rear of said plate, a gate pivotedbetween .said arms at the upper ends thereof for swinging movementsrelative to said plate and having a lower web-engaging portion and afork extending rearwardly therefrom over said plate, a bar extendingbetween said arms, a lock of resilient strip material having its upperend portion secured to said bar and a portion curved downwardlytherefrom between said arms provided with an end portion in the path ofmovement of the fork and adapted as the gate is swung rearwardly from aforward web-engaging position to a rearward open position to be engagedand flexed downwardly by the fork so as to yieldingly bear upwardly onsaid fork and releasably lock the gate in open position, an upwardlyextending lever provided on each of said gates, a stationary cam adaptedto engage said levers to swingthe gates towards an open webengagingposition and release said forks from the locks, and a stationary stopmember against which said levers abut Whenfsaid forks are releasedwhereby the forward swinging movement of said gates is checked, the saidcam and stop member being disposed in spaced relation so rthe levers'may pass therebetween.

2. In a tenter machine, a tenter clip of the type adapted to be hingedlyconnected to others to form an endless tenter chain, said clip includinga body, a substantially horizontally-disposed webengaging plate portionrigidly associated with the forward side of said body, spaced armsextending forwardly above said plate portion from adjacent the rear sideof the body and being integral with said body so Yasto be immovablerelative to said plate portion, a bar member spaced above said plateportion extending between said spaced arms, a control member pivotedbetween said spaced arms, a gate pivoted between the forward outer` endsof said spaced arms for swinging movements relative to said plateportion and providedwith an operating lever member extending upwardlyfrom its .upper side and a portion on its lower side for co-'operatingwith said plate `forward web-engaging position to a rearwardnon-web-engaging position Ato be engaged and iiexed downwardly by saidfork so as to yieldingly bear upwardly thereon and releasably lock thegate in said rearward position.

JOHN H. WILLIAMS.

